DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[DizzyIzzy]

I believe @dangerdave’s Dragonette is a version with acid blend instead of lemon juice, but I’m going from memory. And I’ve read about someone using rhubarb instead of lemon for the acid too. I personally have used 32 oz in the batches I’ve made.

Kerry, where did you hear about "Dragonette"? I am interested...........................tell me more.........................................Dizzy

 

[MustyMike]

Six gallon batch racked into secondary. Triple berry blend: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry frozen + I added some fresh picked blueberries from the local patch. Looks very promising

 

[KCCam]

Kerry, where did you hear about "Dragonette"? I am interested...........................tell me more.........................................Dizzy

From the master himself:
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/dragonette-triple-berry-wine.34681/
Basically 3 tsp acid blend instead of lemon juice, and double the berries. Although at least in one post I saw, he says he didn’t really care for it, I imagine because you can’t improve on perfection, lol. I know lots have tried it, so there must be something to it.

 

[Johnd]

From the master himself:
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/dragonette-triple-berry-wine.34681/
Basically 3 tsp acid blend instead of lemon juice, and double the berries. Although at least in one post I saw, he says he didn’t really care for it, I imagine because you can’t improve on perfection, lol. I know lots have tried it, so there must be something to it.

I make mine with just the fruit and no water, it’s pretty darn good fruit wine.

 

[hounddawg]

Made a batch of this eight or so months ago. It does not taste like any wine that I drink, more like Kool-Aid with a distilled spirit added. Kinda like the jungle-juice kids put together as an alternative to beer at college parties but takes much greater effort. I cannot foresee it improving much with any amount of tweaking.

My question is: What does your batches flavor / taste compare too? Thanks in advance

that's why the one and only 18 gallon finish batch i made i quadrupled the fruits, mine done look like others and mine looks like a true red, hence the apostatize in my label DRAGON'S BLOOD.
Dawg

 

[Alexey]

My carboys are all in baskets now because I once had one break and spill 6 gallons of wine all over my floor. I didn't know whether to cry or grab a straw. It took me HOURS to clean it up
View attachment 63262

Is that ace bucket 5 gallons or is it 6 to the top?(meaning theres a gallon of wiggle room) I’ve been looking for a fermentation bucket for a while

 

[Alexey]

I did use “real lemon”. I did my first skeeter pee earlier and had great results fermenting. A bit gassy though! Finally settled down. DB would have probably worked fine too, except the blueberries swap. Guess I need a pH measuring device. I gave up winemaking a decade or so ago due to lots of bad wines. I’m inspired by this forum that maybe i can make some great ones once in a while!

That’s what I love about this forum. I’m new to wine making and I’ve spent hours and hours reading different posts and I can see so many people asking questions on what to do with bad wine, and the people helping Make it better from person experiences.

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

Is that ace bucket 5 gallons or is it 6 to the top?(meaning theres a gallon of wiggle room) I’ve been looking for a fermentation bucket for a while

I actually use laundry tubs...not baskets with holes, but the solid tubs. I cut mine down a bit so I can better tell if my wine is clearing but the ones I have can easily hold 6 gallons of wine in the event a carboy should break. I also have a couple almost clear Rubbermaid totes that work really well. In fact, I'll probably eventually replace the solid color laundry tubs with those as they are easier for seeing the wine.

 

[Alexey]

thank you
Dawg

What does it cost to make labels. Is that for personal use or resale?

 

[hounddawg]

What does it cost to make labels. Is that for personal use or resale?

the guys name is Doug cox his email is-- [email protected] --
he has tons of different pictures he prints then on a inkjet printer, when they come in , i go outside spread them out and using a spray can , i clear coat them , to make them pretty much water proof, since i'm a steady customer , all i do is send the types of wines and the year, a 6 gallon carboy of finished wine takes 5 sheets, each sheet has 6 labels per sheet, shoot i forget what he charges, since mine are all the same except for the year and type wine, so i send him a list of the types of wine, and year, he sends me a pay-pal invoice, i pay him and he sends me the labels
my labels say in big letters across the bottom/// Ozark's country wines //
in the middle it says the//// type and year /// at the very bottom in small letters it says /// my name and town and state/// he lives in Canada and has been doing mine for about 6 years now, just email him, tell him Richard Robins sent you, he has a ton of different labels, you can look up his labels on e-bay, but go thru his private email, and it is cheaper then what he gets for them, on e-bay, you can send him a picture as well.
Dawg

 

[Betty23]

I did a final racking of my DB yesterday and saved some for tasting. I thought I'd share my experience.

A few modifcations to the original recipe: (1) Used about 30oz of lemon juice rather than 48oz; (2) used 11 lbs of fruit (8lbs of costco triple mixed berry and 3lbs of costco blueberries); (3) did not backsweeten. All rackings combined, I topped off with a total of a couple liters of pinot griggio and about 400ml of regular brandy.

I let it sit for three weeks before racking again and using finings. Then let it sit for another three weeks and racked again. Tomorrow I will bottle.

The result is quite nice. It doesn't need any backsweetening. The fruity aromas come through immediately and one is left with a pleasant sweetness on the tongue. It's not too tart or acidy. My wife really likes it.

I'm planning on trying a variation of DB with even more fruit - perhaps 15-20lbs, and with a can of Vintner's Harvest blackberry concentrate.

betty

 

[KCCam]

I did a final racking of my DB yesterday and saved some for tasting. I thought I'd share my experience.

A few modifcations to the original recipe: (1) Used about 30oz of lemon juice rather than 48oz; (2) used 11 lbs of fruit (8lbs of costco triple mixed berry and 3lbs of costco blueberries); (3) did not backsweeten. All rackings combined, I topped off with a total of a couple liters of pinot griggio and about 400ml of regular brandy.

I let it sit for three weeks before racking again and using finings. Then let it sit for another three weeks and racked again. Tomorrow I will bottle.

The result is quite nice. It doesn't need any backsweetening. The fruity aromas come through immediately and one is left with a pleasant sweetness on the tongue. It's not too tart or acidy. My wife really likes it.

I'm planning on trying a variation of DB with even more fruit - perhaps 15-20lbs, and with a can of Vintner's Harvest blackberry concentrate.

betty

1. I use 32 oz as well.
2. I use about 11 lbs fruit as well (9 lbs Costco berries, 2 lbs bananas, maybe some raisins or other misc leftovers in the freezer).
3. Though you like it with no backsweetening, do some bench trials. Even the smallest amount of sugar can bring the fruit forward without imparting any noticeable sweetness, and so will time. You could save yourself 4-9 lbs of extra fruit, although I know the extra fruit could only help. And brandy? I know it would help the DB too, but, ... I think I would enjoy it more by itself!

Ain't DB great?!

Oh, and don't forget to add your total to How many gallons of Lon D's Skeeter Pee have been made?. (Yes, it's for DB too.)

 

[CheerfulHeart]

I found 6 pounds of cranberries in my freezer and would love to make a Cranberry Lime Dragon Blood. Would 6 pounds be enough for a full 6 gallon batch, or should I make a 3 gallon batch and use the 6 pounds of fruit? How much lime juice do you recommend? My understanding is lime tends to be a more aggressive flavor than lemon. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[G259]

I would say 3 gal., and 1/3 the lemon/lime (or use acid blend to recommended amount). My friend makes a Strawberry Cranberry that 'is to die for'.

 

[KCCam]

I found 6 pounds of cranberries in my freezer and would love to make a Cranberry Lime Dragon Blood. Would 6 pounds be enough for a full 6 gallon batch, or should I make a 3 gallon batch and use the 6 pounds of fruit? How much lime juice do you recommend? My understanding is lime tends to be a more aggressive flavor than lemon. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I would say 3 gal., and 1/3 the lemon/lime (or use acid blend to recommended amount). My friend makes a Strawberry Cranberry that 'is to die for'.

I would have to agree with @G259. I've never actually tried DB with 6 lbs of berries, since Costco in Canada sells the triple berry in 2 kg bags (4.4 lbs), I use 2 of them. I also use 32 oz ReaLemon (half), so 16 oz ReaLime (1/3) sounds right. It seems to me cranberries may be acidic too, but I can't vouch for that. I don't think too much fruit would disappoint you, but too little might. You can always adjust your next batch if you think it has potential.

Let us know what you decide, and how it turns out!

 

[hounddawg]

I would have to agree with @G259. I've never actually tried DB with 6 lbs of berries, since Costco in Canada sells the triple berry in 2 kg bags (4.4 lbs), I use 2 of them. I also use 32 oz ReaLemon (half), so 16 oz ReaLime (1/3) sounds right. It seems to me cranberries may be acidic too, but I can't vouch for that. I don't think too much fruit would disappoint you, but too little might. You can always adjust your next batch if you think it has ten

Let us know what you decide, and how it turns out!

yes cranberry is very stringent as is blue berry
Dawg

 

[dangerdave]

Love the conversation, people! You guys are awesome wine makers!
I once crafted a desert wine fortified with brandy based on the DB recipe. “Dragon Port”, I called it. It’s on this web site somewhere. I still have a few bottles from 2013. I’m now inspired to pop one and see how it’s doing. It’s about 22% ABV.

 

[Aeludor]

I made a batch of dragons blood, which is very good. I can't wait to make it again with different fruit. I'm in the process of doing up my crab apple wine again and I was thinking of the process of the DB. Is it a good practice to press all the fruit in mesh bags while stirring even if it's not a skeeter pee, or should I just leave the bag in the fermenter while I stir each day?

 

[KCCam]

Love the conversation, people! You guys are awesome wine makers!
I once crafted a desert wine fortified with brandy based on the DB recipe. “Dragon Port”, I called it. It’s on this web site somewhere. I still have a few bottles from 2013. I’m now inspired to pop one and see how it’s doing. It’s about 22% ABV.

@dangerdave, yes, I printed that out a few months ago. Dying to make it! It seems to me you won a contest with it too, no? Maybe the Gold Medal Dragon Blood Variant Contest mentioned in your signature?

And you still have a few bottles. WOW. They must be hidden very, very well!

 

[DizzyIzzy]

Love the conversation, people! You guys are awesome wine makers!
I once crafted a desert wine fortified with brandy based on the DB recipe. “Dragon Port”, I called it. It’s on this web site somewhere. I still have a few bottles from 2013. I’m now inspired to pop one and see how it’s doing. It’s about 22% ABV.

DD, how did you get the ABV that high?.................................................Dizzy